book review: Indiscretion by Charles Dubow

-
The backstory: Indiscretion was one of the featured titles at the Harper Collins Book Buzz event at ALA last June. I read it on the plane home from California and was even smart enough to write this review last June while it was fresh.

 The basics: Indiscretion is the story of Maddy and Harry Winslow. Harry is a National Book Award-winning author, while Maddy is beautiful, smart and kind. They're a couple revered by all who know them, and the two love to entertain at their home in the Hamptons and at their New York City brownstone. Yet as the title indicates, the marriage may not be quite as strong as it appears.

 My thoughts: Indiscretion is an intelligent vacation read. There are elements of an upper-class soap opera, but there are also elements of high-brow literature. The combination works well and keeps the novel from becoming either too serious or too frivolous. This novel also sits somewhere between thriller and domestic fiction. Adding intrigue to the story, the narrator of this novel is Walter, Maddy's childhood friend. With this choice, Dubow creates a sense of mystery. Why is Walter, a secondary character, telling the story? And how does he know the private details of their lives? Dubow's answers to these questions were incredibly satisfying and elevate this novel above its salaciousness. As much as I enjoyed it and celebrate its release, part of me wishes it were coming out in May, as I loved experiencing this novel as a vacation read, so I recommend you take it on an airplane too.

 The verdict: Indiscretion is a fun escapist read. It's a window into the life of New York affluence, an admired marriage, and the career of a National Book Award-winning author. Intrigue, salaciousness, scandal, love, and suspense abound in the lives of this couple and their circle of friends.

 Rating: 4 out of 5
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: February 5, 2013 
Source: publisher

 Convinced? Treat yourself! Buy Indiscretion from an independent bookstore, the Book Depository or Amazon (Kindle version.)

As an affiliate, I receive a small commission when you make a purchase through any of the above links. Thank you for helping to support my book habits that bring more content to this blog!

Comments

  1. (Diane) Bibliophile By the SeaFebruary 4, 2013 at 8:37 AM

    I think I have the eGalley - I like the sound of this one. Thanks for reviewing it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. nomadreaderFebruary 4, 2013 at 9:09 AM

      Diane, I'll be curious to hear what you think of it!

      Delete
  2. ZibileeFebruary 4, 2013 at 2:06 PM

    This is our bookclub pick for March, and I think I already own it, but if not, I will be buying it soon. I love these types of books and the fact that it's written with style and flair excite me even more. Excellent and very enticing review today!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AudraFebruary 5, 2013 at 10:48 AM

    4 out of 5?! Hmm, I guess I'll have to consider this -- I'm not always wild about domestic thrillers but now and then, I crave the tension...!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousFebruary 11, 2013 at 10:43 AM

    Hey thank you so much for reviewing this book, I enjoyed it too! Have you seen the sexy video? http://youtu.be/qQoY3JgxUGc Whew ((fanning myself))!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Happy reading!

Popular posts from this blog

book review: A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear

-
Image
The backstory: A Dangerous Place  is the eleventh historical mystery featuring Maisie Dobbs. My reviews of the other eleven (plus Winspear's stand alone historical novel) are in my Book Review Database . The basics: Set four years after the last Maisie Dobbs novel, Leaving Everything Most Loved , in A Dangerous Place , we meet up with Maisie in Gibraltar in 1927 during the Spanish Civil War. She gets off her England-bound ship in Gibraltar because she's not quite ready to return. Note: this review contains spoilers about what happened in those four years of Maisie's life between books, all of which are revealed in this novel's first thirty pages.  My thoughts: Sunday I wrote about the Maisie Mail I received. These postcards appear in the book itself, along with many others. After setting the stage in Gibraltar in the opening pages (Maisie stumbles upon a dead body), Winspear recounts the last four years of Maisie's life in the form of postcards, letters, an
Read more

book review: Run by Ann Patchett

-
Image
The backstory: After loving State of Wonder  ( my review ), I set out to read all of Ann Patchett's books. The basics: Run  is the story of the Doyle family: Bernard, an Irish Catholic ex-mayor of Boston, his deceased wife Bernadette, their adult son Sullivan, and their two adopted college ages sons, Tip and Teddy, who are biological brothers. My thoughts: I'm beginning to think Ann Patchett is my soul sister. Her writing reaches me deeply, and I've adored everything she's written. It was a special treat to read Run , the novel of hers I knew the least about going in. Although I had the framework of two of her novels and one memoir, I didn't know what to expect. Run  isn't as universally loved as some of her other works, so I was particularly curious to see how it measured up. Admittedly, Run  started off slowly for me. It took two chapters to really get into the heart of the story, but once it happened, I was hooked. One of the things I love most about
Read more

book review: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

-
Image
The backstory: Gilead  won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005, the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2004, and was longlisted for the Orange Prize in 2006. The basics: As Rev. Ames nears the end of his life in the 1950's, he begins a letter to his young son because Ames realizes his son is too young to really know him. Gilead  is that letter. My thoughts: Gilead  is a novel I'm been meaning to read for years. It's a character-driven, Midwestern narrative by one of our best contemporary writers. It should be a novel I love, yet I struggled to finish it and admit I was wowed by neither the story nor the writing. Gilead  seemed almost stream-of-consciousness at first. I appreciated that Robinson jumped right in: this novel is a letter from father to son; the reader's ignorance of these two characters is not the focus. As the novel progressed, more details began to be filled in, and the reader begins to understand the characters, setting and purpose. I enjoyed the fir
Read more